"This publication demonstrates that prison libraries have many different advantages. The most obvious ones are connected to educational benefits, such as providing access to educational reading materials and information, including legal information, supporting formal education and achieving educational qualifications, and improving literacy levels and normalizing a culture of reading. Then there is the benefit of pleasure reading as a calming and constructive way of passing free time, reducing boredom and offering solace, generating a feeling of normalcy in a closed environment, and as a means of distraction and escaping daily worries. Prison libraries also support social cohesion, acting as meeting places with a calm, relaxed and safe atmosphere, as well as being spaces for debates and events and offering cultural entertainment [...] Using the services of the prison library is one of the very few opportunities where inmates have the autonomy and responsibility to make their own choices by selecting what to read and get informed about. The prison library supports prisoners in reflecting on their current situation and in planning for their life once released. It is also one of the few places where prisoners can feel relaxed and be confident that their requests will be attended to. Prison libraries provide a window to the world. By working closely with organizations outside the prison environment, they provide a bridge to culture, events and services beyond the prison walls. Taking security issues into account, inmates deserve the same library services available to citizens living in freedom." (Conclusion and policy directions, page 42-43)